Method of making cushion soles



July 26, 1938.

J. C. GIVREN METHOD OF MAKING CUSHION SOLES ,Filed Nov. 10, 1937 2 She ets-Sheet 1 [r7 Vania!" a 7m. X/'at' July 26, 1938. J. c. GIVREN METHOD OF'MAKING CUSHION SOLES Filed NOV. 10, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 26, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,125,238 METHOD OF MAKING CUSHION SOLES James C. Givren, Brockton, Mass. Application November 10, 1937, Serial No. 173,805

6 Claims.

This invention relates to cushion sole shoes and comprises more especially a novel process of making cushion soles. An important field of use of the invention is in the manufacture or welt shoes and for purposes of illustration the invention will be described in its adaptation to this particular branch of shoemaking although it is not so limited.

My invention contemplates the provision of a cushion insole presenting a continuous, unbroken grain surface beneath the foot of the wearer and having a substantial portion of its forepart, or of any other selected area, constructed to provide a soft and flexible cushion. To this end an important feature of the invention consists in forming an internal recess in the sole blank which is bottomed by a thin layer in the blank, and then enlarging the boundaries of the recess to increase its size and finally filling the recess so provided with a cushion pad. It is believed that never before in shoemaking has a recess been formed in this manner, and it offers numerous advantages. For example, the novel recess may be formed initially by a gouging operation carried out by commercial machinery available for the purpose, and then the boundaries of the recess may be progressively enlarged by a channeling operation and the material turned up to form an insole rib. The original gouging operation may be performed rapidly and accurately by employing a matrix splitting machine and the subsequent enlarging operation effected by merelysubmitting the recessed sole blank to an operation corresponding to that which would be performed in the regular routine of channeling the sole to provide a welt rib. By the procedure above outlined, it is thus possible to provide an insole having a recess in its flesh surface of any desired area and location covered or bottomed by a thin, continuous grain layer. The operations involved in thus fitting the novel sole are those well understood and easily carried out by the shoemaker in stock-fitting so that the insole comes to the bottoming room ready for use in regular routine of'manufacture.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. l is a crosssectional view on a small scale illustrating the gouging operation,

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective showing the forepart of a gouged insole,

Fig. 3 is a similar view in perspective suggestive of the operation of enlarging the bound aries of the recess,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in perspective of the forepart of the finished insole,

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the fore- I part of a shoe having the improved insole incorporated therein, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of an insole cover which may be employed if desired as an optional feature.

Insole blanks are purchased by the manufacturer in assorted sizes died out to shape. As herein shown an insole blank Ill of solid leather is first presented to a matrix roll splitting machine which includes a stationary splitting knife 15 9, a matrix roll II and a flexible feed roll H. In passing between these rolls a predetermined area of the forepart is displaced by the matrix projection into the plane of the splitting knife 9,

a bottom portion l5 of reduced uniform thickness. Preferably the sole blank is presented to the splitting machine so 26 that the chip I 3 is removed from the flesh side' and the bottom or cover layer I5 which remains is the grain portion of the insole. In Fig. 1 the recess is shown as symmetrically located in the In Fig. 3 the step of enlarging the recess is suggested. For this purpose a commercial channeling machine may be employed having an inside channel knife Hi and an outside channel knife l8. These knives are associated with suitable supporting and feeding means by which the 40 soleis properly gauged, presented and advanced to the action of the knives. The inside channel knife l6 has a flat cutting blade and an upstanding shank. In presenting the recessed insole H) to this machine the blade of the inside channel 45 knife is located substantially flush or slightly above the surface of the bottom layer l5 and as the sole is advanced the surface of the layer l5 gin l4, and at the same time a slit is formed 50 which extends inwardly from the marginal edge of the blank.

The next step consists in turning up or raising the inside channel lip I! and the outside channel lip l9 thus formed. These two lips as shown 66 in Fig. 4 are turned into upright position and cemented together to form an upstanding marginal rib which extends rearwardly in the insole somewhat beyond the heel breast line and is utilized in the manufacture of welt shoes as will be fully understood.

In Fig. 5 the recessed insole I is shown as incorporated in a lasted shoe having an upper 25. The welt strip 22 is sewn with the margin of the upper to the rib |.1-|9 the welt seam 23. The recess formed within the welt rib and having the thin bottom I is now filled with a cushion pad iii of such shape and thickness as to completely fill the recess, and, if desired, to project slightly above the level of the rib |'|-|9. Any soft, resilient material may be employed for the cushion pad, although I prefer to use a blank died from a sheet of sponge rubber and cemented to the bottom layer |5. The pad 2| herein shown terminates slig itiy in the rear of the ball line of the shoe, but may be extended further into the shank if desired.

In Fig. 6 T have shown the forepart of the shoe bottom as including a cover sheet 24 of thin rubber which is secured at its marginal edges to the outer face of the welt 22 and extends continuously across the edges of the rib |1--|9 and the cushion pad 2|. The purpose of the cover sheet 24 is to render the bottom of the shoe waterproof and also to give the shoe a ventilating action in wear. the thin bottom layer l5 of the insole may be provided with perforations 20. Consequently, when pressure is exerted upon the pad 2|, air is expelled from the perforations 20 and when pressure is released, air is drawn into the shoe bottom thus maintaining a desirabie circulation of air thereto.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided an improved cushion sole by a method involving only the routine operations ofshoemaking. Moreover, I utilize the usual channeling operation for a double function, not only for cutting the lip required vfor the insole rib, but for enlarging the recess of the insole and increasing the area of the thin spot and of the thin flexible grain layer covering the cushion in the finished shoe. While the rib herein shown as formed by turning up the inside channel lip is characteristic of a welt shoe, it will be understood that any sole may be recessed accordance with my invention by the two related steps of first removing a gouged chip and then progressively enlarging the boundaries of the gouged area.

For this purpose marginal material about the Having thus disclosed my invention and described a preferred embodiment thereof what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of making cushion soles which consists of reducing the iorepart of a sole blank to form an internal recess of substantial area bottomed by a thin layer in the blank, broadening said recess by raising a marginal zone about the boundary of the recess to form a peripheral rib, thereby providing an enlarged recess adapted to receive a cushion pad.

2. The method of making welt insoles, which consists in recessing the flesh face of an insole blank leaving a thin grain layer in the biank coextensive with the recess, broadening the recess by raising a lip in a marginai zone about its periphery, turning outwardly a peripheral lip about the margin of the insole blank, uniting said lips to form an insoie rib, said enlarged recess being adapted to receive a cushion filler.

3. The method of making cushion insoles, which consists in removing a flat chip from one face of an insole blank to form a recess of'substantial area with a thin bottom, and then progressively broadening the recess by channelling outwardly from the free space of the recess, raising the lip thus formed, turning up a second lip from the margin of the insole blank, and uniting said lips to form a sewing rib.

4. The method of making recessed soles, which is characterized by the steps of removing a flat chip from one face of a sole blank to form a recess of substantial area, and then progressively broadening the recess and raising the lip so cut to form an upstanding sewing rib.

5. The method of making recessed soles, characterized by the steps of removing a flat chip from one face or" a sole blank to form a recess of substantial size, laterally slitting the inner wall of the recess at substantially the level of the bottom of the recess, and moving away the recess thus broadening the recess while maintaining its bottom substantially in one plane.

6. The method of making welt insoles, which consists in gouging the flesh face of an insole blank to form a recess of substantial area bounded by a wide marginal wall, and then progressively channeling and turning the material in both sides of said wall, thus simultaneousiy broadening the recess and forming the lips of an .insole rib.

JAMES C. GIVREN. 

